2019 Women's World Cup influencing soccer camps this summer

Roanoke College's co-ed camp had all time high enrollment.

SALEM, Va. – You can assume that the U.S. Women's World Cup win made an impression on the future of the sport. 

But you really don't believe it until you see it. 

"The kids are buzzing, having watched the games, having modeled the players on the women's national team, and trying to emulate them, and do what they do out here," Roanoke College men's soccer head coach Ryan Pflugrad said. 

At the Roanoke College co-ed camp, every player is Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle, or Alex Morgan. 

"She inspires a lot of people, she's a great player on the field and off the field, she has a great attitude towards everyone," Cami, a camper, said of Morgan. 

And every team is Team USA. 

"Just overall, the excitement, it was peaking. We got really fortunate this year, obviously to have our camp start the day the women won the world cup again," Pflugrad said. "Which is just a special thing for our entire country to be able to celebrate and for our sport to celebrate."

But the most moved demographic, of course, was young women and girls across the country. 

"They're so nice, they just don't go easy on each other," fifth grader Julia said. "They just want to make the world better, by playing, they want to change it."

Enrollment for the camp is at the highest it has ever been and it's no coincidence that it fell on the week of the World Cup Final. However, girls are not the only ones influenced by the women's team, it's the boys as well. 

"You're learning from different sexes in other ways, and sometimes other people are going to be better than you but you just have to get through it and work your hardest," Cami said.  
 

 

 


About the Author:

Brooke Leonard is the newest addition to the 10 Sports team, joining in June 2019.